Football Preview: Somerset Eagles vs. Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers
The Somerset Eagles will square off against the Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Westmont Hilltop took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Somerset, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row dating back to last season, Somerset finally turned things around against Greater Johnstown on Friday. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 35-12 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Eagles have posted since September 22, 2023.
Rowan Holmes was a one-man wrecking crew for Somerset as he rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in rushing yards. Another rusher making a difference was Camden Lowery, who rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Westmont Hilltop was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss. They had to suffer through a 57-21 loss at the hands of Richland. While losing is never fun, the Hilltoppers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 461st, while the Rams are ranked 169th).
Despite the defeat, Westmont Hilltop had strong showings from Derek Gartner, who gained 102 total yards, and Landen Valente, who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Gartner got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run and that went for an incredible 52 yards. Fisher Stratton was in the mix too, providing Westmont Hilltop with a touchdowns.
Westmont Hilltop wouldn't let Richland keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Westmont Hilltop can thank Stratton and Jonah Mccoy for forcing both of them. Stratton also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble and making four total tackles which he returned for a touchdown.
Even though they lost, Westmont Hilltop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 265 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 175 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Somerset's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Westmont Hilltop, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Somerset strolled past Westmont Hilltop in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a score of 31-13. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Westmont Hilltop's Bryce Goodman, who rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Somerset still be able to contain Goodman? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
